The influence of students' behavioral definitions on subsequent teacher behaviors was investigated with a simulation which allowed teachers using a microcomputer and video display terminal to verbally interact with four simulated students programmed to vary on knowledge and initiative. These "students," in turn, responded to teacher…

Research studies on the academic ability of individuals recruited into teacher education have produced mixed findings; some studies have found that academically talented teachers tend to leave the classroom in greater numbers than less academically capable colleagues, while other findings have indicated that teaching attracts and retains those…

This technical report is one of a series concerning the instrumentation for Project PRIME, which investigated the relationship of regular and special education classroom environments to student characteristics. About You and Your Friends (AYYF) is a self-report inventory of the affective characteristics of students. The instrument is suitable for…

Student variables which influence attainment of ecological concepts and conceptual systems were investigated. Researcher-designed paper/pencil and free-sort categorization tests were administered to 256 Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) students in grades 4-6. Findings are: (1) grade and ability, not sex, influenced concept attainment…

Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) students in grades 4-6 were used to investigate ecological concept formation. Researcher-designed, multiple-choice and free-sort tasks were administered. Statistics utilized included analysis of variance, Spearman correlation, multiple regression, frequency distributions, and latent partition analysis.…

Changes in students' perceptions of success and failure as they progressed through a diploma hospital nursing program were studied, in a replication of a study by Davidhizar. Weiner's attribution theory was also assessed to determine students views of the following explanations of success: effort, ability, task ease, or luck. Effort was cited as…

This study compares the abilities of urban, suburban, and rural students to think critically in the social studies. The specific purpose was to determine if differences existed among the three categories of elementary students. Eight hundred and twenty five 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students from urban, suburban, and rural schools in Washington D.…

A checklist developed by the Austin Early Childhood Special Education Program to help teachers assess handicapped students ages 4-7 and plan learning activities is presented. The checklist is comprised of 127 performance statements for six areas of development: perceptual skills, motor skills, self help skills, social and emotional skills,…

The use of ability variables for grouping students is pervasive in elementary schools. Teachers form these groups judgmentally, taking into account formal (e.g., test) and informal (e.g., personal observation) sources of information. Their judgments of students' abilities are reasonably accurate. Such grouping can be explained as functional on…

Graduates of masters' degree programs in education at a small midwestern state college were surveyed to determine the academic and attitudinal differences between those who had obtained their undergraduate degree at other institutions (regional group) and those who were continuing their study toward a graduate degree at the same college…

A study was conducted in the Navy to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of individualized instruction (II) compared to conventional instruction (CI). Comparisons were made concerning the relationships of method of instruction, ability level, and type of training task to training time, training costs, end-of-course grades, and fleet…

Research on abstract categorical reasoning has shown that students with "A" grade point averages (GPA) have limited, better and often less, reasoning ability than students with lower GPA's. A similar effect was also found when testing "bright" and "dull" subjects. An analysis of this effect was conducted using the component model of categorical…

Nine elementary schools enrolling 852 sixth grade students participated in a study that examined the relationship between the organizational climate of elementary schools (whether the school was "open" or "closed") and the reading achievement of students. Each school's organizational climate was determined by administering the Organizational…

This study examined student aptitudes and student behaviors during small group interactions as mediators of the effectiveness of small group learning. The hypotheses to be investigated were that the effects of small group learning on student achievement are produced by students' participation in group interaction, and in the providing and…

Schools of education, reacting to the demands for more teachers in the 1960s, increased recruitment activities and in many cases lowered admission standards. The result has been a decade-long condition of severe teacher surplus, declining career mobility for teachers and faculty, and an eroding wage base for educators. These conditions have…